Arizona Cardinals threaten to sue Glendale over parking

3,200 spots lost to developing mall near Glendale stadium

The Arizona Cardinals are a step closer to suing cash-strapped Glendale over the loss of about 3,200 parking spots near the NFL stadium that workers demolished to build an outlet mall.

The Cardinals and the Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority, which operates University of Phoenix Stadium, on Wednesday delivered a notice of claim to the city seeking up to $66.7 million to replace the lost parking with garages, unless an acceptable solution is found.

The claim, a precursor to a lawsuit, follows two April letters to the city that laid out the team's and sports authority's concerns that parking demolished in February to build the 38-acre Tanger Factory Outlets complex could not be replaced. They gave Glendale a Tuesday deadline to provide assurances that parking spaces at Westgate City Center would be replaced.

The city never responded, according to the claim.

The Cardinals began playing at the Glendale stadium in 2006. An agreement signed four years earlier required Glendale to provide 6,000 spots for football games and other stadium events at Westgate, the restaurant and entertainment complex near the stadium.

A possible short-term solution the city presented in March did not comply with the parking agreement because the spots were outside Westgate, according to the team's and sports authority's April 9 letter to the city.

City Attorney Craig Tindall, whose city faces a $35 million deficit in next year's budget, said the franchise "jumped the gun" with its notice of claim.

Tindall said the parking agreement requires the 6,000 spots be available only about two months before the first football game. The first Cardinals game is set for Aug. 17, and the city is working to have an answer for the Cardinals within weeks, the city attorney said.

City Manager Ed Beasley said Glendale transportation staffers are working to find spots and are likely to provide responses to the Cardinals soon.

The city manager acknowledged March meetings with the Cardinals and the sports authority, but he could not say whether there had been discussions since or provide details on possible plans.

Cardinals spokesman Mark Dalton said Glendale never responded to April letters, which were also signed by representatives from the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee, the Fiesta Bowl and the NFL.

"Today, the city doesn't own or control enough land at Westgate to perform the contract, and under these unique circumstances, we have a legal right to assurances they have the ability to perform that obligation," Dalton said.

The parking woes are further complicated by Westgate's troubles. The 6-year-old complex fell into foreclosure last year.

This year's announcement that Tanger would open an outlet mall there, along Loop 101 just south of Glendale Avenue, was a sliver of good news for the complex that is now partly owned by two separate lenders.

The city attorney said any new development at Westgate would impact stadium parking plans, but he said there has long been an understanding that parking could be shuffled.

"We haven't violated any agreements," Tindall said. "We don't intend to violate any agreements. We are working on a solution."

If one exists, sports-authority President Tom Sadler said he would like to see it soon.

"I think we're prepared to sit down and fully vet any solutions (Glendale) may have, but meanwhile, the clock is ticking toward game day," he said.